3-6-18 Last week B-CC Honorary Member Steuart Martens talked about making changes in his life and how he decided to become a Health and Wellness Coach. Steuart helps people live healthier, longer lives, which covers the entire circle of life. The number one killer in our diets is Sugar. There are 56 different names for sugar in our food supply. In the 1880’s people consumed about 18 lbs of sugar annually and now it is between 150-170 lbs a year.

2/27/18 John Bowis, of Chevy Chase Cars, talked about autonomous (hand free) vehicles and the future of mobility. Cars have represented a freedom of movement and joy for over 125 years, but not so much anymore. There are 253 million cars and trucks in US today with 6m crashes a year, 2m injuries, and 37k deaths. Autonomous vehicles are the solution to regaining mobility and joy. They reduce accidents by over 90%, are lighter weight, much more efficient (electric), and cheaper. John predicts that in 10-15 yrs from now we will all be driving autonomous vehicles. They might even be mandated by the government for safety reasons.

2/13/18 Dr. Thomas Matthew, Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Suburban Hospital, Johns Hopkins spoke about your Heart - The Happiness Factor. Heart disease causes 25% of deaths in US and over ½ are men. A new procedure called TAVR can replace a diseased aortic valve with a man-made valve using a minimal invasive catheter. With resources of Johns Hopkins, Suburban has almost doubled the volume of heart cases over the past several years. Suburban Hospital’s enhancement project will open in fall of 2019- timed to coincide with Suburban Hospital’s 75th anniversary.

Feb 20, 2018 Marcus Hull and Will Gundlach spoke about the Three Rangers Foundation, helping Veterans achieve lifelong success. 22 Million Veterans in US that need to stay connected to “Veteran Communities”. The new 3RF initiative, Veteran Development Program, is pro-active to achieve better long-term results before had things happen.Will Gundlach is a participant of the program. He is a former Ranger in Afghanistan and suffering from PTSD. Will was homeless, and how has a full time job and is on a path to success in the civilian world. For more information go to: info@threerangersfoundation.org

2/6/18 Christopher Emery spoke about his experiences as a White House Usher. From January 1986 until March 1994, Chris was part of the most unique positions in government by serving the personal needs of the first families. He was there during parts of the Reagan, Bush 41, and the Clinton Administrations. In his talk, Mr. Emery shared fantastic anecdotes of Life in the White House and promoted his book “White House Usher: Stories from the Inside”.

1-30-18 Ian Band spoke about US Immigration Law. In today’s world immigration law is very complex and ever changing. Legal immigration have been static during the past few yrs, and illegal immigration is on the decline. Despite popular belief, the legal immigration into US does not undercut or displace US workers and their wages. Compliance with immigration laws is very expensive with filling fees and legal fees.

1-23-18 Guest speaker Commander Paul Liquori, of 2nd District of the Montgomery County Police department talked about policing in Bethesda. In 2017 there were 21 homicides in Montgomery County, but zero in the 2nd District. Most prevalent crime is theft from autos. Traffic safety is a big concern; 32 fatal collisions in 2017 and 2,789 arrests for DUI. The new police station opened on Jan 22; a four-story building, 38,000 sq/ft, located at 4823 Rugby Avenue.

there were 21 homicides in MoCo, but zero in the 2nd District. Most prevalent crime is theft from autos. Traffic safety is a big concern; 32 fatal collisions in 2017 and 2,789 arrests for DUI. The new police station opened on Jan 22; a four-story building, 38,000 sq/ft, located at 4823 Rugby Avenue.

1/16/18 Our guest speaker European Deputy Ambassador Caroline Vicini talked about relations between the EU and US. The EU consists of 28 member states primarily located in Europe. Can trace origin back to Treaty of Rome (1957) as well as the Marshall Plan, so the US is “midwife” of the EU. Crisis facing EU includes Brittan’s exit, refugee influx from Middle East & Africa, and the fallout from financial meltdown in 2008.